Olympus E-410 Comparison Review

The Olympus E-410 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was revealed to the public in March 2007 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 10 megapixel.

The E-410 has an Elo rating of 1353. The Camera Elo
represents a comprehensive assessment of digital cameras, as derived from a large number of pair-wise comparisons of body, sensor, and feature characteristics.

The Elo rating puts the Olympus E-410 below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category – Four Thirds cameras – the E-410 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera receives a 2.5-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, and reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison with a credit card

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size of the Olympus E-410 vis-à-vis a credit card. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Olympus E-410 alongside
a set of comparators. If you want to review a
camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table.
Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and
choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Olympus E-410 was launched in the US market at a price of $699.
Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available.
Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting
and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be
found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Olympus E-410 features a Four Thirds sensor and has a format factor
(sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Olympus E-410 among the medium-sized sensor cameras
that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Olympus E-410 and comparable cameras. The full specs-sheets can be found in the camera manual or, for example, in the dpreview camera hub.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains incomplete and does no justice, for example, to the way the E-410 handle or perform in practice. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (cameralabs, dpreview, ephotozine, imaging-resource, photographyblog). The full reviews are available by clicking on the site logo in the table header.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Olympus E-410 FAQ

Below are some additional questions and answers
concerning some particular features of the E-410.

What type of imaging sensor is used in the E-410?

The camera has a CMOS (Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor) sensor at its core.

Which image processing chip is used to convert the raw signal into an image file and perform noise reduction and image sharpening?

Olympus equipped the E-410 with the TruePic III image processor.

What is the ISO sensitivity range of the E-410?

The camera has a native sensitivity range from ISO 100 to ISO 1600.

Does the Olympus E-410 feature an autofocus assist light?

Yes, the camera has a lamp build-in that can illuminate the subject and improve autofocus in low-light settings.

The camera gets its power from the BLS-1 (here at amazon), which is a rechargeable Lithium-Ion power pack.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares another one, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored. If you do not see the camera that you are looking for, please contact me, and I will try to locate and add the respective data to the application.